AZ Briefing: DOJ rescinds death penalty protocol AZ plans…

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AZ Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Sun Jan 19 2025

Good morning, Arizona. Here’s what our reporters are working on and what you should know about what’s happening across the state before you start your day.

The U.S. Department of Justice, in one of outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland’s final acts, rescinded the federal government’slethal injection protocol — the same one used by Arizona — because of concerns about whether it was humane.

More about how Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes reacted.

Munch away on National Popcorn Day

It’s National Popcorn Day!

Harkins, Cinemark, AMC and Regal movie theaters are all offering discounts and freebies on Sunday.

Here’s how to score the deals in Arizona.

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Today in history

Here are just some of the events on this date in the past.

•	On this day in 1920: A roomful of civil liberties activists led by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman and Albert DeSilver gathered and formed the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU. As one of the most important nonprofit civil rights organizations, the ACLU provides legal assistance in cases in which civil liberties may be at risk.
•	In 1966: Indira Gandhi was selected as the first female prime minister of India after a bitter battle of leadership. The daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the independent Republic of India, her tenure was marred by controversies and unrest.
•	In 1977: President Gerald Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D’Aquino, also known as Tokyo Rose, a Japanese American disc jockey and broadcaster who was falsely convicted of treason and served six years in a U.S. prison for reportedly broadcasting anti-American propaganda and aiding Japan’s war efforts, despite evidence that proved to the contrary.
•	In 1993: Pixar began production for “Toy Story,” the first fully computer-animated feature film. The film became a success at the box office and among critics when released in late 1995, spawning multiple acclaimed sequels and helping Pixar become a formidable film studio.
•	In 1999: The first Blackberry device, an email pager called BlackBerry 850, was released by software company Research in Motion. The brand came to dominate the smartphone market for most of the early 2000s until Apple introduced its iPhone.
•	In 2024: Japan became the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon when its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, touched down on the surface.

– Hoang Tran, USA TODAY Network

Reproductive rights backers rally ahead of inauguration

Supporters of reproductive rights gather in Phoenix to protest potential restrictions on health care and reproductive freedoms under Donald Trump.

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Relatives on school board violating law, legislators say

Arizona law prohibits immediate family members “who have the same household of residence within four years prior” from serving on a five-person board.

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